Rangers
by Oreocat155338
Summary: Will and Pritchard have one major thing in common, and this one thing's name is Halt. OR, When the dead speaks to the living, certain rules must be broken.
1. Part 1

**A/N Sorry I haven't done anything lately. I thought I'd apologize with a real quick Rangers Apprentice one-shot. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _"Will!"_

The boy blinked and suddenly an middle-aged man was standing in front of him, wearing a Rangers cloak, with Ranger's weapons, and a golden Ranger oakleaf.

"Who are you?" The boy asked, only relaxing slightly, when Rangers retired, it was because either old age or an injury prevented them from their duties, and Will could see signs of neither on this Ranger's face.

"Pritchard." The Ranger said. "I believe Halt's mentioned me?" He said it casually, and it took Will a second to place the name.

"Halt's mentor!" The boy's face lit up, before falling doubtfully. "But you're supposed to be dead-"

"I am dead." Pritchard said. "Look around you. Have you ever been here before?" The boy looked around, seeing the familiar, yet unfamiliar location.

"Halt's cabin." He said, and his gaze landed on the chair.

"Actually this was my cabin." Pritchard said. "From when I was training Halt. We were in Conmel at the time."

"Why would we be in Conmel?" Will asked. "And why is Halt important?" Pritchard chuckled.

"Now I see why Halt found it so irritating." Pritchard muttered to himself. "Halt is important because he is where our lives intersected, in a way. He is what we have in common."

"Other than the fact that we're both Rangers?" Will asked.

"Well, yes." Pritchard said. "Though you're still an apprentice. But there's more. If it hadn't been for Halt's interest in you, thanks to your father, I would have never noticed you. After death, a Ranger can teach a child's subconscious things they will need to know to be a Ranger. I'm the one who taught you that people will see what they expect to see."

"So I didn't come up with that out of thin air?" Will asked. "Thanks, I guess." He thought for a moment. "Wait, if you're dead then does that mean I'm dead?"

"No, you're dying." Pritchard said. "You can go back, if you want, Halt's waiting for you. Or you can come with me, meet the rest of the Rangers. They're waiting to meet you."

"By the rest of the Rangers- you mean, the dead Rangers, don't you?" Will asked. "You're-"

"Offering you eternity." Pritchard said. "With the ability to help others from dead threats that Rangers never learn of."

"The why are you telling me?" Will asked.

"Because there's always the chance you might come with me." Pritchard said. "And, if you chose to return to Halt - like I hope you will - there is a fifty percent chance of you forgetting this. Make your choice soon."

"Or?"

"Or the choice will be made for you." Pritchard said. "And you'll have to come with me."

"I'm going back." Will said instantly, and the room around him and Pritchard began to fade.

 _"Good luck, Will." Pritchard said as he began to fade. "I'll see you again." He waved, and suddenly, Will saw the real world again._

"Will!" He heard Halt's voice through the pain now. "Will! Thank god. Hang in there, we're almost to a healer."

* * *

 **A/N And that's that. Please tell me what I can do better with a review or PM.**


	2. Part 2

It'd been years since Pritchard had talked with Will. Sure, he still kept an eye on the boy when he could, but he hadn't returned to that near-death state.

And now he was being told that he had to pick someone up. He already knew it wasn't Will, and he was at a loss about who he would meet.

This time he appeared in the castle, invisable to everyone except the one person he had to pick up. Inevitably it would be someone he'd been close to during life, like Halt or Crowley.

He froze mid-step. Crowley, his first apprentice. Crowley lived in the castle, and while Pritchard had helped some in Duncan's upbringing, Crowley had become the Ranger Commandant.

Hoping he wasn't right, he took off to the rooms where he knew Crowley had been staying, and Crowley had just woken up from some sort of dream, probably a nightmare from the way he was breathing hard.

Suddenly Crowley's head snapped his direction, and Pritchard felt a sense of pride in how well he'd trained Crowley. He'd been completely silent, but Crowley had still figured out he was there.

Then he realized Crowley was looking right at him, and his heart sunk.

"Pritchard?" The word came out as a whisper. "Wha- how?"

"I'm sorry." Pritchard said, words barely louder than Crowley's. "Crowley, I was sent because your time has come."

"It's time for me to die." Crowley said, and Pritchard nodded. "But- what about Halt? He'll miss me."

"Halt will be fine." Pritchard promised. "He can survive without you, and if he needs help, Will and Gilan will make sure he gets it." He took a breath. "And the Ranger Corps will survive to. We need you."

"We?" Crowley asked.

"The Rangers." Pritchard said. "The dead ones, that is. We're hard pressed, and we need you and your training." Crowley looked at Pritchard, before a grin appeared on his face.

"Let's go then." Pritchard could see worry in Crowley's eyes for everyone he was about to leave behind, but the simple fact that Crowley trusted him after all these years nearly brought tears to his eyes.

Pritchard rested his hand on Crowley's shoulder, and suddenly Crowley's spirit left his body, and the Ranger looked at himself in awe, before they left the mortal plane.

"Alright, so what needs done?"


	3. Part 3

**A/N Thanks to Ranger Katie for giving me the idea to continue this!**

 **PFT3000: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the first two parts, I hope you like the rest of the story!**

* * *

They hadn't quite been there since the start of Araluan, but ever since their founding, each Ranger's unique skill was passed down through the generations. They had once believed that their job would end in death.

How wrong they were.

Even in death they were needed, with the level of training that Rangers needed, even ten was almost too old to begin training.

So they figured out a way to pass information that future apprentices would need.

Uaithne had a way of being unconvential, however, in who he gave knowledge. His favorite of Knowledge-Passed called himself Halt Arratay. Choosing someone who was the heir to the throne, who wasn't even Araluan, had made him a laughingstock for years, because they couldn't appriciate his foresight.

And then Morgrath had banished Pritchard, who had wound up in Hibernia. It wasn't them who was laughing when he became one of Araluan's greatest Rangers.

The Living believed that they chose their apprentices on their own, but that, too, was a lie.

The Deceased (for that was what they called themselves) searched for possible canidates to become Rangers, and, if the child was judged worthy, they guided the Living so they would meet them.

Of course, Pritchard had disregarded all of those rules with the infant Will. As had Uaithne with Halt.

Once Pritchard had seen the boy's father save Halt and learned of a son, he had decided to make it happen, and whispered to the boy for all of his life, guiding both him and Halt.

Few of the Deceased had the gift of foresight, and those that did said nothing, simply meddling in the Living's lives.

Pritchard had guided Will's arrow in Hibernia, had been by his side throughout his apprenticeship. Had given him the compassion of the man who had captured him. Indeed, he hadn't been able to help the boy much, but the boy had a talent for survival. He also had a talent for saving Halt's life, for which Pritchard would be endebted to him.

His job after that battle when he had met Will had been to claim his soul. He had decided to give the Will for two reasons, the foremost was Will's consistancy in saving Halt's life.

But the other was due to Pritchard's gift of foresight.

He had glimpsed the future as he stood on the battlefield as Will had been injured. He had seen the destruction that would have been wrought on Araluan.

Will's choice of life and death had far more meaning than either could have understood at the time. He had brought peace and prosperity to Araluan. He had saved the country as many - if not more - times than Halt had.

"Do we have to, Pritchard?" Crowley asked. "He was one of the best." Grosvenor snorted.

"What do you think?" He asked. "None of us ever want to be the one to do it. 'Course, we don't got a choice."

"We will need him here." Pritchard had spoken to few about his gift of foresight, for him to speak so opening showed how dangerous the situtation was. "And, unfortunately, the job falls to you, Crowley. Our enemies are getting closer, he's the only hope that the world has."

"He deserves a break." The former Commandant protested, already resigning to his duty.

"As do the rest of us." Pritchard said, sparing nothing on his former apprentice. "If we are overrun, the Living will have to attempt to stop the threat. The only Living who might be capable of combatting the threat would be outnumbered, and Will Treaty will die, only to be killed again!"

"Halt-" Crowley started to say.

"Halt still has Gilan. He will be fine." Pritchard said. "We need a few more numbers."

"And if Horace falls in battle attempting to protect Will?" Crowley asked. "Would you have me claim the soul of the King of Araluan?"

"Cassandra is the one in charge." Pritchard said, voice stern. "This battle is on such a huge scale that they will most likely be seperated." A short pause, and when the older Ranger spoke again, his voice was softer. "We have no choice." Crowley looked at his mentor, tears shining in his eyes.

"For the record, I was against this." He said softly. "I wanted Will to live a long, happy life."

"As did we all, kid." Grosvenor said, seeing that the argument between mentor and apprentice had finished. "Go and get 'em." Crowley turned, facing the doorway that would return him to the world of the living long enough to steal Will away from his loved ones.

"Crowley." Pritchard said. "You're forgetting your bow and arrows."

Crowley turned around and accepted his weapons, and looked Pritchard in the eyes. To send him away with his weapons meant that the situtation was more dire than he had thought or-

Or Pritchard was giving him permission to destroy the army that would kill Will, but only while the boy was dying.

"Thank you." he said, bowing his head before turning around to walk through the door.

* * *

 **And that's Part 3! It's not quite what she suggested, but it'll do, I think.**

 **This is NOT the end. I have stuff planned (kinda) after this. Let me know in the reviews what you thought!**

 **Here's the suggestion that Ranger Katie gave me:**

Well, I think maybe have it kinda being mostly in the dead Rangers view as they help apprentices and the Rangers and slowly explain through things happening how and why they help apprentices and Rangers.


	4. Part 4

When Will imagined death, he had always imagined his soul being claimed a middle-aged man who appeared to be a Ranger with a golden oakleaf inside of Halt's cabin.

Never had he imagined an angry Crowley to come collect his soul from the battlefield while shooting down an entire army with what seemed to be a never-ending supply of arrows.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, he coughed blood, and he could hear shouting - Horace's shouting - but he couldn't discern the words.

 _"I'm sorry Will."_ Crowley said, sounding like he was right next to the fallen Ranger. _"We couldn't delay it any longer. We need your help."_

He heard something - his mind was too weak to discern what it was - and Horace landed beside him.

 _"I argued against it."_ Crowley said, firing off another arrow, causing whoever was fighting Horace to land alongside Will. _"But you might be the only one who can face our enemy and come out on top."_

Something grabbed his hand, someone shaking him. Shouting, but he was too far gone to understand anything but what Crowley was saying.

 _"You deserved better."_ His Commandant told him, and he felt something in his hand. _"You'll need your weapons."_

 _Were the Skandian myths about what happened if someone died without their weapon in their hands true?_ Will pondered for half a second.

 _"That might be where they come from."_ Crowley admitted. _"But we don't know the truth behind their orgins, or how there are so many of them."_

Will could no longer feel what had grabbed his hand, or the hand of whoever was shaking him. In a split second, he came to a decision.

"I-" He tried to say. "I'm sorry." His eyes flitted back to Crowley, who was right next to him.

 _"I'm sorry too."_ With that said, he stretched his hand out, reaching inside of Will and pulling his soul clean from his body.

And in that instant everything was clear again.

Horace was sobbing by his body. Halt seemed shocked that something had killed him, as did practically everyone else still alive.

"Tell me about this threat you need me to face." He said as he finally looked at his dead body. It was a confusing feeling. "Well?" He asked, noting that Crowley seemed reluctant to speak.

"They're called the Hell Squad." he said. "We think that they're, well, deceased, but we're not sure. Given the description that you and Halt gave me of the Kalkara all those years ago, I'd say they look something like that, with as few weaknesses, if any.

"Perfect killing machines. They target the Living from time to time, but we're always there. Honestly, have no other idea of how to describe them. Only the Deceased can hurt them, from what we've gathered, but we haven't figured out how to kill them yet."

The world around them blurred and transformed into what appeared to be some sort of palace where Will saw the man he had always thought would claim his soul. His name returned to Will's mind as if by sorcery.

"Pritchard." He said, as a way of greeting.

"I apologize for the means we had to go to in order to get you here." Pritchard said, "But the situtation is dire." As if on cue, the entire building shook. "Quickly, drink." He held out a flask of glowing water, and the Ranger hesisated before drinking it.

Almost instantly a wave of pain hit his body and he collasped as he felt himself get stronger than he had been in life. Much stronger. His arms grew even longer, and his hands glowed for a brief second before the pain left and he climbed back to his feel in astonishment.

"What was that?" He asked.

"Iniation ceromony." Pritchard said, tossing a bow and quiver at Will. "Put your arrows of choice in there, quick. We're under attack." He took off with the other Ranger in there as Crowley lingered.

"I meant what I said." Crowley said. "I wanted none of this for you." With that, he turned and left Will in front of all kinds of arrows.


End file.
